Book II: In the Rough
by Patrykowski der Jaeger
Summary: Sequel to "Honestly," prequel to "Lithium." Like finding diamonds in the rough, love is helping Dustin and Hunter struggle through the distance and time apart. Book II - Vermissen: to Miss, in the 4V Series: Verlieben, Vermissen, Vergehen, Verbinden.
1. My December

_**My December**_

_**This is my snow covered home**_

Snow; that was the first thing he saw. White flecks of somewhat frozen water softly sticking to his window. The intensity of the sun glaring off the white fields beneath his window blinded him momentarily as he grabbed his wits…and noticed his empty bed. _He's still gone._

The same thought would echo through his mind every morning he awoke. It helped him get through reality. It helped him grasp the fact that despite distance, he was still connected to Hunter.

"Dustin, are you awake?"

His mom's voice was rebounding off the walls of the house and he could hear her footsteps drawing nearer. His door opened.

"Look at the snow outside," she noted gleefully, pulling off the green pot-holder on her hand.

He smiled weakly, "Yeah, I know. It's beautiful."

She sat down on his bed, ignoring his lack of a shirt; "Are you going to help me with Thanksgiving dinner?"

He cracked a smile, "Only if you need an official taste-tester."

"I could always use an extra."

She stood abruptly after several moments of silence, drawing in a breath, "C'mon, I just put the pies in."

Dustin moved to dress and followed his mom to the kitchen. Before he shut his door, he cast a forlorn glance out at the wintery setting outside and wondered if Hunter would be okay with such blistering temperatures.

_**This is me alone**_

He bit down as the spikes of utter agony split into him. He felt them burn at his veins, bringing physical pain to an all-time peak, before the screaming began. The shriek of an ethereal realm pierced his eardrums and he felt his heart squeeze severely. Then it stopped. His focus broke, and all pain subsided instantaneously.

"Damn it!" he slammed his fist into the snow covered rock, shattering it in his anger. "Why can't I do this?"

He sat back, catching his breath. Despite the abnormally frigid Californian temperatures, his brow was sweating profusely and his clothes lay in a rumpled pile next to him. He'd learned several months ago that attempting to focus with clothes on would surely suffocate one.

Hunter pulled his pants on and trekked barefoot to his backpack of materials. He pulled out several canisters; one for water, one for food, one for storage, and laid them neatly in a symmetrical row. His compulsive behavior continued as he followed the same ritual, placing exactly 5 photos of the same size around him in a circle. One picture of Dustin, one of Blake, one of all the rangers, and one of each parent brought a sudden wave of nostalgia to him, but it focused him. Shortly afterwards, he brought out the book Sensei Amino had given him and began to read. The language, as impossible as it seemed, flowed into his mind, his eyes lighting with a crimson-colored flame. He read aloud, and animals began to scatter, leftover leaves blowing away from him as gusts of winds abruptly changed their current. He uttered louder and louder as the wind picked up until a deafening boom shook the skies and the trees. Hunter stopped reading and raised his left hand—his morpher hand—to the darkened, angry clouds, and focused. The red flicker in his eyes never died, as a bolt sent by the sky god himself struck his arm, Hunter's body radiating a blinding crimson color. For a second, he was reminded of morphing until the numbness of energy tapped into him and he was teleported.

When he opened his eyes, he saw Dustin in the kitchen with his mom. They were laughing. He looked happy. Hunter smiled to himself at seeing the young man before him. Dustin wasn't depressed. And Hunter sighed a breath of relief. He knew his time was running out.

Stepping forward, he passed through the counter, through Dustin's mom, and steadied himself in front of the former yellow ranger. And slowly, as he felt himself begin to fade away, he pressed his intangible lips to Dustin's.

_**This is me pretending**_

Dustin paused, a sudden warmth waving into his lips; and he pushed forward, wondering what this new sensation was. But as quickly and mystically as it had come, it was gone.

"What's wrong?"

Dustin shook his head at his mom, "Nothing…I felt something weird."

She shrugged and went back to telling him about Christmas plans; vacationing to see her mother who lived alone in Alaska. She was a crazy old woman with a bad eye and a long cane she used to beat people away, or to punish little children who snuck in her candy jar. Dustin had noted that if one were to approach the candy jar mid conversation, she would never lash out, as she normally spoke with her eyes closed. Why his mother wanted to visit her was beyond him.

"Lee, I can't find my golden lapels _anywhere_, and the tie I laid out is suddenly missing."

Dustin turned towards his dad, who was frantically adjusting his white Oxford pinstripe shirt.

"Jake…your lapels are in the bathroom next to the sink and your tie is on the ironing board."

Lee, Dustin's dark haired, blue eyed mom, smiled warmly at her husband's sudden change in state.

"Well what about my graphs? I printed them out this morning and—" Lee Brooks handed him the stack of graphs set neatly on the kitchen table, "—and my notes on the annual—" Again, like Wonder Woman, she set the notes in his hands. "One more question."

"What's that?" she asked.

"What would I do without you?"

"Oh Jacob…I figured you'd learned by now—there's no such thing as life without me."

The seemingly perfect family laughed, and Dustin felt his smile flicker when his eyes fell upon his freestyle trophy. He could only think of how Hunter had helped him perfect a trick shortly before he left. He could only think of the day he'd won the trophy—how when he pulled his helmet off and looked around at his overjoyed fans—and Hunter wasn't there.

"Dustin? Hello, Mars to Dustin?"

He snapped out of his zone, "Yeah?"

His mother gave him a suspicious look, a half grin on her face, "Were you daydreaming?"

"Sorta…I kinda zoned out, ha-ha…"

"Well, I was trying to ask you to pick Janie up from the airport. Her flight lands in about a half-hour."

"Yeah, sure, let me grab my coat and I'll be on my way."

He took a look at the trophy again and stowed his feelings away before he ran up the stairs to grab his coat. Seeing his sister would make things easier for him—she was always so open and adventurous. Maybe he could open up to her and get some of his feelings for Hunter out to someone before he exploded.

_**This is all I need**_

He gasped, pulling cold air into his lungs and feeling it burn his chest. But he wouldn't let it take him out of the trance. The colors in front of him began to swirl, entire trees pooling into each other and meshing with the cold ground beneath him. And suddenly, finally, a loud crack of thunder filled the air, lightning blazing all around him. All of the lightning, every strand, every branch, ever particle of it, glowed dark red. It encased Hunter in its electrical hold, and he embraced the warmth of it, let it run through his veins and allowed it to fill him up. And finally, the ultimate synchronism with his element had completed.

He opened his eyes and saw them. Two figures. One with long blond hair. One with short dark hair. Both wore light colored robes, both wore smiles upon their faces. And Hunter knew at that moment, he had achieved the skill. He was able to speak with the dead.

"Hello, Hunter," his dad spoke softly, stepping forward.

He was no transparent image this time, but a fully corporeal man whose hand laid lightly on Hunter's shoulder.

The Crimson Ninja fought back the tears that threatened to fall as he gazed into the fully whole face of the only man he'd been able to call a father. He looked to the left, where his mother stood beaming.

"Sensei Omino told us you'd be perfecting this skill. I had no doubt of your great ninja prowess, but I'd never thought you'd achieve this level so quickly."

Hunter looked taken aback at his mother's statement.

"So quickly? Mom, it took me nearly half a year."

"Most ninjas never learn this technique, Hunter. And those who do normally take years to complete it."

"There's so much I want to know, so much I still haven't learned from Sensei Amino. He said you two could teach me. And I need to be taught so badly."

His parents nodded, "In time. But time moves differently in the realm of the dead, and being here will tax your body enormously. You need to rest and come back tomorrow."

Her words took a few seconds, before Hunter felt the sudden wave of fatigue slam into him. He nearly collapsed then and there. He managed to utter a strangulated "bye" before he lost focus and blacked out.

_**Just wish that I didn't feel like there was something I missed**_

"Wow."

Dustin exhaled deeply, "Yeah."

"And…how long's this been going on?"

"A year. He left 6 months ago…"

"For…?"

"He's a teacher…and he had to go to some weird country so that he could be qualified for a higher position."

"Ah…"

"Dustin…you need to tell mom and dad."

"No. Especially not dad."

"Why not?"

"Janie, you know how dad is. He's a-okay with legalizing marijuana, but when I told him I'd tried it, he totally flipped out."

She shrugged, "This time's different, Dustin."

He shook his head, turning at the stop light and continuing down the snowy road.

"Mom would totally back you up, and, since it's Hunter you're dating, I'm sure it'd make things a lot easier—"

"I said no, Janie."

She looked taken aback at her brother's tone, but dropped the subject nonetheless.

He had been wrong. Talking to Janie helped some, but now she was pushing him to do the very thing he was avoiding. And he knew that without Hunter there, he couldn't possibly go through with telling his parents. He would need Hunter in case he lost everything else.

So Dustin continued on through his routine; Ninja School, Storm Chargers, and hanging out every once in a while. Until December 25th.

He absently slapped around his nightstand, feeling for his ringing and vibrating phone.

"Hello?" he asked groggily, straining his eyes to see his clock. 4:49 AM.

"Hi."

Dustin stopped rubbing his eyes immediately.

"Hunter?"

"Hey Dustin."

His voice sounded a bit rough, but it was definitely Hunter. Hunter was calling him. He was talking to him. Was he in Blue Bay Harbor again? Was he still training? Would he be coming back soon if he wasn't home yet?

"Wha-where are you?"

"I'm…not really sure. I wandered into a town to reload on supplies…I figured I'd give you a call. Sorry if I woke you. What time is it there?"

"It's almost 5 am. But…you're not home? When will you be? What're you training for?"

"Let's not talk about that. How've you been?"

Dustin sighed. He rubbed his temples in frustration, glanced at the clock, and pulled his covers up around him again, holding the phone close to his face.

"I've been okay. It's not the same without you."

"I feel the same way everyday. I miss all of you."

Dustin hesitated for a moment, then he spoke up, "I thought I wasn't going to hear from you again."

"Why would you think that?"

"I…I dunno. I didn't even know if you were alive or not. I mean…do you know what that feels like?"

Hunter was quiet while his boyfriend spoke, but remained quiet long after the question was asked.

"Why can't you come home?"

"I haven't finished training."

"Training for _what_, Hunter?"

"I can't tell you…yet."

Dustin growled in anger, "Fine."

"Look…in time you can know…but for now; no."

"Okay."

Another pause.

"How're things with your family?"

"Fine. Mom's out of town visiting my grandma, Janie's with her boyfriend, and dad is with his family."

"What's the special occasion?"

Dustin was speechless.

"You…you mean you don't know?"

Hunter spoke slowly, "No…"

"Hunter, today's Christmas."

Silence.

"Oh."

"God Hunter…you need to come home. And if you're not back soon, I'm talking to Amino myself. This is complete and utter bullshit, and you know it too."

"I know it may seem that way, but I need this training Dustin."

Dustin didn't argue, but he entertained the thought for several minutes.

And then Hunter began to speak. About all sorts of things, really. The scenery, how far he'd traveled, the people he met; if it weren't for him having to be apart from Dustin, he would've been having fun, it sounded like.

For hours they talked, until the sun began to peak over the far mountains. Dustin's eyes began to slowly close, and Hunter spoke more softly now, sensing Dustin was losing consciousness.

"Alright, well I'm going to go now."

"Mhm…"

"Goodbye, Dustin."

"Bye…"

"I love you."

"I love you too," Dustin muttered.

A faint click later and Hunter was gone. At least to Dustin's ear, but to his mind, and to his heart, he wasn't. And the dreams that abounded filled Dustin up with subconscious hope. Though through the next months of his life, he would find just how deep that hope went.


	2. Far Away

**In the Rough, Chapter II**

_Far Away_

"We can stay like this for as long as you want," he whispered in the other's ear.

The younger, dark haired man closed his eyes in peace. "As long as I want?"

"As long as you want."

Dustin's eyes opened, but Hunter was nowhere to be found. He wasn't in Blue Bay Harbor, he wasn't at the Ninja Academy, he wasn't in Dustin's room, and he damn sure wasn't holding onto him.

The young earth ninja sat up in his bed, rubbing his eyes in frustration. Another dream, another waste. He glared at his clock as if time were betraying him as it read 1:30 am. It was still _way _too early in the morning to get up and start his day, but maybe some training would tire him out enough to get at least a few more hours of sleep. Throwing his feet over the edge of his bed, he quickly dressed and slipped out of his window, his iPod in hand.

The ground was cool with rain that had since melted from it's almost-snowy form. It was only January, and he had just heard from Hunter not even a month ago, yet he could feel the memories of Hunter's voice fading. How was he supposed to stay hopeful when he didn't even know where Hunter was? How was their relationship supposed to work when they never even saw each other, let alone spoke?

Dustin shook his head and willed his iPod to life as he began to stroll down the street. The steady beat of Nickelback fueled his energy and he began to jog, the streetlights acting as markers of sorts. He hadn't been running long before Nickelback decided to switch to one of their chart-topping slow songs. He rolled his eyes and prepared to change it, since he hadn't heard the whole album yet.

_This time, this place. Misused mistakes. Too long, too late. Who was I to make you wait? Just one chance, just one breath, just in case there's just one left._

Dustin's pace slowed and his finger lingered over the change wheel. Something compelled him to listen, regardless of how inappropriate it was for jogging.

_Cuz you know, you know, and you know. I love you, I've loved you all along; and I miss you...been far away for far too long. I keep dreaming you'll be with me and you'll never go. Stop breathing if I don't see you anymore_.

Now Dustin stopped running and stood still, staring at his iPod like an alien device. What was going on here? Was this some sort of sick joke? Did some evil space alien get inside his head and take his gaping weaknesses and meld them into a song?

He sat on a park bench that sat atop a hill overlooking the beach. Somehow this song seemed to click into place perfectly for how he felt with Hunter. It was clearly a trick, right? How could something echo his thoughts and feelings so clearly that it seemed like an original call...not an echo? He let the salty air fill his lungs as the lyrics seeped in.

_On my knees I'll ask. Last chance for one last dance. Cuz with you I'd withstand all of hell to hold your hand. I'd give it all, I'd give for us. Give anything, but I won't give up._

With his imagination running wild, those "fading" memories of Hunter flared up like a lit fuse, exploding images into his head as vivid as they had originally played out.

_Cuz you know, you know, you know. I love you, I've loved you all along; and I miss you...been far away for far too long. I keep dreaming you'll be with me and you'll never go. Stop breathing if I don't see you anymore_.

There was his first kiss with Hunter, awkward, tense, and filled with curiosity. Their clothes were soaked from the thunderstorm outside that they'd just run through and they'd ended up back at Dustin's. A wrestling match randomly ensued and somehow they ended up embracing each other.

_So far away. So far away. Been far away for far too long. So far away. So far away. Been far away for far too long._

Then there was the first time anything further had happened out of the sheer boldness Hunter seemed to randomly showcase from time to time. Dustin remembered how empty and used he felt afterwards. He could still feel the hollowness somewhere deep down inside, but it had been temporarily mended after he and Hunter confessed their real feelings.

_But you know, you know, you know. I wanted...I wanted you to stay. Cuz I needed, I need to hear you say..._

And of course there was the night after Hunter first said "I love you." The night were they talked at 20 miles a minute about the possibilities, the problems, the planning; all of it. It was then they decided they would work through anything and everything, no matter the consequences.

_I love you, and I've loved you all along. And I forgive you for being away for far too long. So keep breathing cuz I'm not leaving you anymore. Believe it, hold on to me and never let me go._

Was it suddenly raining? Dustin wiped his face in surprising, his eyes red and his lips now swollen. His throat burned with the suppression of tears and his nose felt like it was on fire. He cried? Over a song? Of course not. No way.

He clicked the back button and listened again.

As painful as it was, as true and exact as it was, and as masochistic and emotional as it was, he couldn't bring himself to stop listening. It felt..._good _to release this. To finally be able to voice how he was feeling. And this annoyingly popular Canadian band had done it for him!

"I love you...and I've loved you all along. And I miss you...been far away for far too long," he sang quietly to himself.

He wasn't sure how long he'd sat there listening to the song, but it was obviously long enough for the sun to be rising behind him. He looked at the clock on his iPod. 7 am already? He'd been listening to that song for more than 5 hours!

He stretched and turned towards his home, walking slowly at first, then picking up his pace until he was jogging.

When he got home, the smell of coffee permeated the house, his mom and dad talking in the kitchen.

"Dustin? Is that you?" his dad asked.

"Yeah dad," the earth ninja responded, pausing at the stairs.

It was quiet in the kitchen for a few moments before Lee, his mother, spoke. "Come in here for a sec, will you Dustin?"

He half rolled his eyes and headed into the kitchen.

"Yeah?"

"Your father and I were wondering if maybe you'd want to take a trip with us to Australia to see the Barrier Reef. We're not going until February, but I figured I'd ask you now so you could get the time off work. What do you think?"

Dustin looked at his expectant parents. His dark-haired, blue eyes mom and his goofy, airheaded father. He half-smiled.

"Yeah, yeah that sounds awesome. I'll talk to Kelly about it today when I go in."

His mother smiled a...mom smile? "Good. Are you hungry? Do you want breakfast before I head to work?"

"Uhm...actually...I haven't had any French toast in a while," he said with a crafty smile.

"Hm...why don't you settle for American toast today?" Lee shot back, sipping on her coffee absently.

Dustin gaped, caught off guard by his mom's wit.

"Because I'm trying to be more classy."

His dad let out a deep, rumbling laugh. "Dustin and class do not mix."

"Maybe if you got one of those 'will it blend?' blenders," Lee joined in, kissing Dustin on his forehead.

Dustin rolled his eyes, smiling. "Well if we're anything like you, dad, this family's all about mixing things that shouldn't mix. Like shrimp and waffles."

Lee couldn't hold back the eruption of laughter at her husbands expense.

"Hey! Shrimp waffles have been in the Brooks family for years!" Jake defended haughtily.

"Don't worry," Lee whispered to Dustin loudly, "they're not in mine."

Laughter resounded through the house of 3 and Dustin could have sworn that had Hunter been there, he would be truly happy. Yet again, he noticed the stark contrast of things without Hunter. How happiness could be _so _close, yet so far away at the exact same time.

_Far away_, he thought to himself.

As his mom prepared breakfast, he headed upstairs to shower and dress, all while listening to "Far Away." Was it his anthem? Eh...maybe not an anthem. But it was damn sure his favorite song at the moment.

"Do you think Dustin's okay?" Lee asked her husband Jake as she piled the French toast on a plate.

"Of course. Why do you ask?"

"Well he's been a little reserved lately. For a while now, actually. And he's been listening to that same damn song over and over," she said, nodding her head in the direction of the bathroom. "What do you think it's about?"

"Honestly Lee, I don't think it's anything. Maybe he just likes the song?"

"That doesn't explain his change in attitude lately. He almost seems like a different person. And when's the last time you went riding with him?"

"Lee, it's Winter; you can't really go riding if the track's frozen."

"Jake, we're in Blue Bay Harbor _California_. The only thing that freezes here is our computer upstairs that you refuse to let me trade in."

Jake sighed as he tightened his tie. "Sweetie, nothing's wrong with the boy, okay? So he's a little hormonal? Maybe him and that girl Marsha–"

"Marah."

"Are fighting. Or maybe he got into a scuffle with Shane. It could be anything."

"Well will you talk to him? I don't think he's talked about Marah in about a year, and Shane is never around anymore."

"Fine, babe, I'll talk to him when I get back from work, okay?" Jake acquiesced.

"Thank you," she said, kissing her husband.

"I gotta run or I'm gonna be late. Love you, knock your presentation out, and I'll see you at dinner."

"Text me!" she shouted after him like a teenage girl. "I cannot believe I just said that..." she said, chuckling to herself.

Dustin toweled off and made his way to the kitchen where the smell of French toast, bacon, and eggs greeted him.

"Oh wow mom, you went all out, huh?" he asked, sitting at the bar area of their kitchen.

"I've learned to know what you mean when you say 'French toast,'" she joked.

He smirked, mumbled something about how she knew him too well, and dug in.

His mother watched him–more like studied–closely, a small smile on her face. "Is everything okay, Dusty?"

He looked at her bewildered. He could have sworn Hunter had just asked him if everything was okay. He had even called him Dusty.

"What?"

"I said is everything alright?" Lee repeated, a hint of concern tainting her voice.

He remained silent a moment before answering. "Yeah...yeah, everything's fine."

"Are you sure? You...don't seem like yourself lately? You're either always in your room or always gone or working. And I never see any of your friends anymore, like Shane or Hunter."

"Hunter's out of town," he snapped.

"Oh."

Dustin stayed quiet after that, eating his food impatiently.

"And what about Shane or Tori? Or maybe that girl Marah you used to talk abo–"

"Marah and I didn't work out," he responded hotly.

"Well why not? Was she just not your type?"

_Yeah, try not my gender. _

"No, she wasn't."

"I'm sorry sweetie. You know, maybe this vacation next month will be good for you? Take some time off work and stuff and just get out of Blue Bay Harbor. It'll be nice."

"Yeah," he said, "Real nice."

She frowned inwardly but looked at the clock on the wall behind her son. She realized her interrogation would have to wait until later...either that or Jake would have to try getting through to their son.

"Well alright, Dustin, I've gotta get going. I've got a huge presentation on the state budget today so I've gotta get to work early."

"Okay," Dustin said absently.

"Well...see you at dinner." She kissed him awkwardly on the cheek and headed out the door.

In Dustin's heart, he knew taking things out on his family wouldn't help...but in his head, all he could hear, all he could remember, was how Hunter was still far away. For far too long.


	3. Broken

1**In the Rough, Chapter III**

_Broken_

Dustin felt the surge of power as he leapt into the air, high above the ninja students below. He outstretched his hand in a somewhat cruel manner, released a devastating amount of energy upon the students.

They scurried from his blast, but they were still no match for his brute strength and perfect earth ninja skill. With ease, he ripped through their defenses and left them wondering what had happened.

Moments later that he, Shane, and Tori had backed the ninjas into a retreating, defensive group.

"Stand down," Shane ordered. "Alright...how do you guys think that went?"

Dustin, in his characteristic boisterousness and with the adrenaline of the battle, albeit short, still coursing through him, announced with pride; "Dude, we totally kicked their _butts_."

Calm as ever, though her voice betrayed a hint of amusement, Tori responded, "...I believe he was talking to them, Sensei Dustin."

"Oh," Dustin said, feeling no embarrassment whatsoever, "right. Sorry, proceed."

Shane resumed his self-righteous speech, trying a bit **too **hard to imitate the more-than-amazing mentor of a Sensei the three had studied under. Dustin fought not to roll his eyes at his former best friend, but a void he could not describe had pushed them to the farthest edges of their friendship to where Dustin had no idea what Shane was even up to lately.

As they traipsed through the forest that Dustin knew all too well, it became obvious Sensei had somehow become predisposed and would not be making their engagement. Which was odd...especially for him.

"You think he forgot?"

"When has he ever forgotten anything? **Ever**?" Tori questioned with good cause.

Dustin was lucky to escape her question when he noticed a scroll hanging in front of them. And whereupon they finished reading the scroll, an odd tingle went through Dustin as something told him danger was present...somewhere.

–3–

Hunter whipped his head up, his senses alerting him to the massive shift in power around him. Something was wrong. Abandoning his hike, he returned to the camp he'd set up for himself immediately, streaking faster than he'd dared to in a while. With reckless abandon, he sought to clear his mind of all thoughts but that of his core conscience–the pure, unbridled spark of energy that flowed within his being–that consisted of a piece of thunder itself. Almost instantly, the deafening crash of angry heavens greeted his ears and lightning danced around the crimson ninja. Several bolts struck around him until they entwined his body and his power rippled through the bolts themselves. Each bolt turned crimson, in turn darkening the sky with a shade of red deeper than fire, but brighter than blood.

Hunter opened his eyes and they hummed crimson before returning to their cool blue. He flicked his eyes to the faces of his parents.

"Mom, Dad...I feel a _huge _upset in the forces here on Earth," he said solemnly.

His father frowned. "What do you mean, son?"

"I...can't really explain it...just that the air feels tense with agony, anger, and vengeance. The sky itself seems pissed off at some unseen being." He paused and shuddered as a tingle of fear washed through him. "It feels evil."

His adoptive mother, evermore conscious of the presence of evil and more contemplative than anyone he'd known, spoke slowly and carefully. "Perhaps you should seek out Sensei Omino, if not but briefly, to discuss these matters with him? If history proves right, he will know what to do in the event of a tragedy."

Hunter nodded. "How will I get to him in time? I don't even know where I am, much less how to get back to a place I know."

His father, with a knowing smirk, answered. "Follow your heart son. It will lead you to the one you care for most."

The blond's eyes widened, and in that second, his mind flickered to Dustin. His concentration fizzled and his parents gave an echo farewell.

Lost from the trance, he glanced around his surroundings panting. "I have to get back to Blue Bay Harbor..."

Without a second to lose, Hunter scrambled around his camp and collected his supplies and belongings, stuffed them into his canvas bag, donned his Thunder Ninja Sensei outfit, and streaked off in the direction that called to him like home.

–3–

"Sensei, is everything alright?" Tori questioned as the three Wind Ninja Sensei approached their mentor warily upon Blue Bay Harbor's highest point.

"No Tori...I'm afraid it's not."

Dustin, squinting into the sunlight and scanning his Sensei's features, spoke up. "Hey, you don't look so hot," then tacked on, "No offense!"

"None taken, Dustin," Sensei responded with a faint smile.

When Shane inquired about their current situation, Sensei merely gazed out on the ocean below and responded, "He's back."

The three looked confused, and he continued.

"Lothor is back."

With a look at his teammates, Dustin spoke up in disagreement _and _disbelief. "Wait, Lothor _can't _be back."

Shane backed him, "Yeah, no way."

"We saw him disappear into the Abyss of Evil," Tori concluded, as if their argument was foolproof.

But Dustin abandoned their argument, worry gripping his guts like an infectious disease. His mind instantly zapped to Hunter, but he grabbed the next thought. "If Lothor's really back, how are we gonna fight him with no powers?"

"Cam has been saving these," Sensei began, holding his palms out for a tin identical to the original Morpher case to appear, "for just such an occasion." With a heavy pause, he continued. "Shane, Tori, Dustin; it is with a heavy heart that I must give you your new Wind Morphers." Each of them picked up their respective morpher with reluctant nostalgia. "A dark cloud has descended upon us and it is time for you to resume your duties as Power Rangers."

A lump welled inside Dustin, and for a few indiscernible minutes, he wasn't sure what it was. Then he picked several emotions from the lump and identified them as anxiety, adrenaline, and overall, an undying want to protect those he loved.

Holding up their left arms in an almost salute, they stood side-by-side as Power Rangers once more and Shane spoke for the group saying "We won't let you down, Sensei. Let's do it!"

Unanimously, the group pressed their index and middle fingers down on the first two of four buttons on their Wind Morphers.

Instantly, a surge of dark electricity flowed from the morphers and into the rangers, driving a malice into them that was incomparable to any they'd ever felt before. Each struggled momentarily before the power had its way with them, disposing them of any thoughts but those of pure hatred.

His eyes clouded by the thick fog of anger, Dustin stood refreshed, staring at his Sensei in an obedient manner he had yet to ever experience.

"Well," he asked, his voice more accented and lethargic, "how do you feel?"

"Like Blue Bay Harbor must be destroyed," Shane said monotonously.

"Why stop there?" Tori demanded in an evil, yet somewhat sultry manner. "I want the whole country."

"And then the world," Dustin chimed in, reveling in the feeling the words had released.

"That's what I's hopin' you'd say!" Sensei half-shouted. He tossed the tin aside and waved a hand, revealing Lothor in his place. "I never thought I'd say this...but it's a pleasure to see y'all!"

Shane, as listless as before, replied subserviently, "And it's our pleasure to serve you."

A nerve in Dustin fidgeted as Shane spoke for the three of them, but he miraculously suppressed it as a stronger urge to destroy everything else overcame him. In the back of his mind, the grass below him was singing, whispering, and calling to him to look below and find his Sensei. Despite his malignant intentions, the earth had yet to abandon its servitude to Dustin, but he ignored the pleas of nature and awaited his orders from Lothor.

–3–

Hunter's eyes stung from the sweat that dripped from his forehead, but he did not slow his pace as he sprinted half the globe–or so he felt. His feet hardly touched the ground before they sprang him forward towards the ever-beating presence of home. Until a twang of sharp pain racked his chest.

Hunter almost doubled over at the shock. He could see the very distant storm clouds, and from them, he could almost taste the radiating evil in the vicinity. He had to be close. His greatest fear, though, was what could be causing such a stir in him...and he almost knew that Dustin had to be in harms way if his body was physically feeling pain. The bonds they'd formed, somehow, had surpassed any he'd ever felt–even with Blake, though their bond was similar–and he wondered if he would be able to follow this link to release Dustin from whatever it was that was hurting him.

Wasting no time, he doubled his speed with confidence of his surroundings. Using his power of Thunder Sight, he used the clouds themselves as eyes so he could easily scout his way to the Thunder Ninja Academy nearly 10 miles away. "I should make it in no time," he thought to himself as he took off.

When he arrived, the school was very much as it had been; students training in the fields, teachers observing and sometimes offering suggestions, and the looming building behind them all with its grandiose structure. Hunter was almost in range when a blur of black intercepted.

"Speak your business, sir," a woman demanded of him, her posture straight as possible in her crouched fighting stance.

"I am Hunter Bradley, head Thunder Ninja Sensei," he said firmly, irked by her interrogation of him, despite his robes.

The girl's eyes narrowed, widened, and then narrowed again. "There must be some trickery here; Sensei Bradley is not expected back until months from now."

Hunter rolled his eyes. "My patience has never been my best quality, young ninja, and I don't have the time to explain myself to you. You shouldn't be questioning me now, anyway, especially when my rank clearly overhangs yours."

The crowd behind her seemed to recede a bit.

"How _dare _you?" she cursed, charging. Hunter incapacitated her in moments, dodging her swift kick, grabbing her ankle, and driving her body into the ground while he pinned her with her leg and his foot on her neck.

"You would do good to practice your technique and _listen _when spoken to instead of flaring up at the first sight of confrontation."

The girl groaned in pain, struggling to breath from her awkward and painful position.

He released her and glared at the other ninjas. "Don't think I can't take you all down just as easily, even at the same time."

No one spoke.

The girl rubbed her neck and ankle, staring at Hunter in awe, even behind her mask. Without another word, Hunter disappeared in a spark of crimson.

He sought out Omino immediately, much to his own relief.

"Sensei Omino...I can't explain it, but I feel like there's something...something bad going on."

Omino frowned deeply, the wrinkles in his face becoming a leathery mask of sorts. "I sense the shift in power, but I cannot yet pinpoint it. Have you a more accurate way of pinpointing this disturbance."

Hunter opened and closed his mouth several times, but didn't want to speak of the bond he had with Dustin. Not yet. "I just...I dunno. I guess they're old ranger instincts. And I'm sure even you've felt the angriness in the sky since this afternoon. I'm not sure what it is, but it's big enough to disrupt the course of that previously oncoming storm."

"I agree, that has been most unsettling. The students, however minute it may be, detected the change as well. I fear it can only be the presence of some great evil we have not faced–"

"Since Lothor."

Sensei Omino grew very quiet, picking his next words carefully. "You should be nearby lest Sensei Watanabe Junior contact you in your emergency frequency. If that is so, being here will be much more advantageous than you being lost to our eyes in the forests and mountains of the Earth."

Hunter bowed his head in agreement. "I will stay here and wait for Cam. Hopefully there is no need and things will pass, as nature sometimes does."

"Yes...hopefully."

–3–

Dustin felt the rush of energy around him as he crashed into the ground, the yellow glow around him fading. He, Tori, and Shane knelt low to the ground, their heads bowed as they sensed out the surroundings of the school training area mentally. With the trained obedience of long-time comrades, they lifted their heads as one and stood to their full heights.

Casually, almost, he walked with Shane and Tori, never breaking his steady gait, even as Kapri and Marah tried to convince them of the danger Lothor's presence presented.

He half-ignored everything else, only the compulsion to lift the all-powerful device on his left arm and call the long lost call of the Wind Rangers. At last, Shane deemed it necessary.

"Capture them!" Lothor ordered.

"Gladly," Shane retorted quickly. "Ready?"

"Ready!" Tori and Dustin answered with familiarity.

"Ninja Storm, Ranger Form! Hah!" they roared.

Power that Dustin had missed so long ran through him and his anger flared like no other. His mind kept running over the night Hunter had finally deigned to tell him he was leaving. And how no matter how much he cried and degraded himself by begging, the stubborn Thunder Ninja had been intent on leaving. And so he did. And despite the sporadic phone calls, Dustin's heart had not mended and he was still alone, no matter how many friends he surrounded himself with. The pain and the hurt, combined with this new power gave Dustin a feeling of self-righteousness that overwhelmed every other sense he knew he ought to have.

He was faintly aware of Tori demolishing the students near him, but otherwise he was intent on taking out his own frustration. Anything to sate the hunger for vengeance he felt. Anything. He parried a blow from a student, the grabbed him roughly and tossed him to this allies. Swinging savagely to his right, he attempted to truncate an earth student he probably had taught at one point. The student blocked, and Dustin angrily shoved him into a cloth wall, breaking some woodwork frames.

He attempted to cleave another Earth student, who rolled out of the way unharmed, but the yellow ranger successfully overpowered three students of varying elements, and then aggressively executed a takedown on another victim. He righted himself and withdrew his mighty Lion Hammer, then slammed it into the ground while announcing its name. He sent yellow-golden energy throughout the grounding, thus flouncing six or seven opponents easily.

Still his hunger was not satisfied.

He fought on until Lothor absorbed every student except his nieces into some odd lamp, and then powered down. He thought of reaching out and snapping Marah's neck for her deception all that time ago. How easy it would have been...to take her life would be simple. Just a quick grasp, a faint choking sound from her, and then...she would go soft under his hands like putty.

He fought the urge and listened as Lothor was seemingly duped into sparing them. Whatever, he didn't care. He only wanted more power. More destruction. Less pain.

"Now that's taken care of...onto bigger things," Lothor suggested.

"Alright," Dustin remarked, glad he would get to further his quest for some sort of appeasement.

Some talk of Cam followed, but Dustin paid it little attention. When the others laughed, he tossed in a chuckle or two, and then focused on his goal ahead. What he wouldn't give to take out his revenge on his former Crimson comrade. He silently vowed to himself that he would make Hunter pay. For making him out to be a fool when they first met, for severely trouncing him every time they fought or raced on the track, for hurting him with the prospect of choosing Tori, and for leaving him alone and yet again, making a fool out of him. He would see to it that he would destroy him and sever this bond, this need, and this _curse _of being constantly and forever drawn to him.

–3–

"It's happened. We need to meet."

The message was so simple, and yet Hunter took several moments to process the words. It was definitely Cam's voice, of that he was certain. But how would he act? He had little choice _but _to go. He just hoped that the others–mainly the other side of his link–were okay.

He streaked as fast as his human body would allow him, making it downtown in a little under 10 minutes.

"Hunter!" Cam greeted.

"Good to see you," Hunter replied, embracing the green clad man.

"Thank you for coming. Sorry to pull you away from your students."

Hunter hated lying, but he replied as was expected "I thought it must be important. I was hoping we'd never have to use these things." He took a pause and considered what his parents had said when he contacted them from the academy and from what he had gathered from Cam's message. "So you think it's Lothor?"

"It has to be," Cam said in his matter-of-fact tone, "Who else leaves purple slime in his wake?"

"You reach the others?" Hunter demanded, concerned of their well-being.

"They're not responding."

Gnashing his teeth, Hunter kept walking as the worry built inside him like a festering wound.

His bond with Blake had diminished in solidity as of late, but he knew above all that Blake was fine. It was Dustin, Tori, and Shane he was worried about. Mentally nudging the link he shared with Blake, he sent his emotions of urgency to his younger brother, hoping he would remember to keep the emergency communicator on him at all times like Cam had instructed when they all parted ways over a year ago.

While he waited for Blake to appear near him and Cam, he surveyed the battle below. It was...disturbing, to say the least. Dustin, Shane, and Tori were surrounded by Kelzaks as destruction wreaked around them. When three new rangers flipped onto the scene, Hunter felt his gut tighten as he watched Tori jump kick into a car just shy of the yellow ranger's face. Try as the girl might, she could not out-maneuver or out-fight Tori as the water ninja drove into her with her Ninja Blade.

Hunter's eyes darted around the scene until he found Dustin battling on another car with the new team's blue ranger. Dustin seemed to be mocking him as, desperately, the blue ranger hacked at the stationary, yet back-flipping Dustin with his blade. Tired of his gymnastics, Dustin righted himself, grabbed the other ranger's sword hand, and drove his sturdy foot into his chest, knocking him into the yellow ranger girl. Kelzaks immediately grabbed him.

Finally, Hunter watched Shane dominate the Dinosaur-influenced red ranger. They were quite acrobatic, even dodging a blast from one of Lothor's monster goons (as Hunter guessed he was). But in the end, Shane parried a blow, spun the red ranger around, and landed a firm straight kick to the red rangers chest while he was in midair. He sailed through the air and crashed into an innocent hotdog stand as Shane advanced on him.

A blue spark and swishing sound jarred Hunter from his observation as his younger brother arrived.

"Blake! Am I glad to see you?"

"I got here as fast as I could," announced the Navy Ranger. "Sup?"

"We got trouble," Cam informed him, nodding to the evil wind rangers below. "Big trouble."

It was then that they all observed the new team fleeing the Ninja horror that was their teammates at one point.

It was then that the decision to head to the Abyss of Evil was made, despite the protests from Blake...and even from himself. However, it meant freeing Dustin from Lothor's grips, he would agree. He felt his limbs tighten as the prospect of a battle loomed nearer and nearer.

–3–

For the fourth time that day, Dustin felt the constant drum and pump of adrenaline through his veins as he blocked and dodged Ethan's blows. The ranger was good, there was no doubt there, and the scale-like structures that had appeared on his forearms made for a good punching post. It left Dustin's arms stinging, but he bit past the pain as he continued to strike at the male. He managed to trip Ethan up, and was expecting as much from Ethan when he did the same. Silently, Dustin passed into the solid earth like a god of the grounds. Then, with all his fury, he burst forth, coming down on Ethan's location with a solid chop. The blue ranger was lucky enough to dodge.

When they regathered, Tori announced that this little foray was getting boring. And he couldn't have agreed more.

"Shall we?" Shane asked.

"Oh yeah!" Dustin enthused, power already beginning to rush through him in the anticipation of a morph.

Just before they could even get into the motions, though, Blake's voice interrupted him. Dustin's fury burned brighter than a hundred suns when he laid eyes upon Hunter, who had seemingly showed up simply because Lothor was back, but he couldn't reappear to comfort his own boyfriend. He clenched his fists angrily but kept his hate at bay, for fear of the others discovering his hidden agenda, especially Cam, who was ever observant.

But then Hunter announced he was on their side. He had seen the error of his ways? And they then proposed destroying the Dino Thunder Rangers together.

"This is gonna be great!" Dustin growled out excitedly.

But then Cam offered them new Power Discs. An upgrade of sorts. Hunter had said they didn't have _these _powers yet, so Dustin was eager to try new ones. As soon as they activated the new ones, though, a propulsion of energy so powerful shot from the morphers that it threw him, Shane, and Tori back on the ground.

Dustin stared up for several moments at the face of someone he was fairly certain he wasn't supposed to be seeing. Blurry visions of ninja students, Lothor, some leather-clad chick, and other power rangers danced before his eyes like fleeting dreams before they were gone. But one thing that was not gone, though it usually was, was Hunter. He stared back at Dustin with all the warmth, concern, and relief that he had always shown. Catching on quickly to reality like he never knew he could, Dustin gasped. "Agh...dude, what happened?" He moved and rubbed his temple, for it throbbed like he'd been impacted with his Lion Hammer. "My bell is seriously rung!"

Tori voiced all three of their concerns by asking where they were. "The last thing I remember is..."

"Lothor," Blake cut her off, answering their questions.

Dread flooded Dustin's heart as Blake spoke the two syllables like death ringing out. He spared a worried glance at Hunter, though his gaze held so many other emotions as well.

"Yeah, we know, Sensei told us," Shane said, remembering suddenly. Dustin's memory flooded back instantly about standing at the highest point back in BBH...but nothing after.

"That wasn't Sensei," Hunter immediately argued.

Dustin bristled at his hostility and retorted, "No dude, I know Sensei when I see him."

Hunter gave him a sympathetic look and Dustin mollified somewhat.

Blake still disagreed.

"Okay, unless it was Lothor dressed _as _Sensei, eh!" Dustin said, catching on.

Then some pale, brown-haired guy interrupted with a voice overflowing with sarcasm. Dustin restrained from punching him and then wondered where this sudden maliciousness had come from.

–3–

Back at the headquarters of the Dino Thunder team, Cam explained the story of their meeting. Jumping in, Hunter added final details: "So we pegged being on Lothor's side to get you to take the right Ninja Discs."

Hunter saw Dustin nodding as he spoke and longed to sit next to him, but kept his guise up. He couldn't immediately flock to Dustin in front of everyone; their relationship was already under intense scrutiny.

Tommy and Sensei rallied them together, but Hunter paid little attention. The drums of small-scale war were beating in his head and he fastened his bonds to his teammates even tighter. If they walked out of this alive, he would return home shortly. He would train for another 4 months _maximum _and come back to Blue Bay Harbor...whether Omino agreed or not.

When they had gathered in yet another obscure rock quarry that was sure to please Shane, the rangers gathered up in ranks by teams, ready to morph and end the battle swiftly and flawlessly.

"Let's be careful...but let's get it done," Tommy said wisely.

"Are you guys **ready**?!" Conner shouted above the rangers and the foot soldiers down below.

"**Ready!**"

Hunter heard the base part of the Dino Thunder team–or as he now knew them; Conner, Kira, Ethan, and Tommy–shout out "Dino Thunder, Power up!"

Trent quickly followed, chanting "White Ranger, Dino Power!" into his morpher.

The familiar call elicited by Shane, Tori, and Dustin of "Ninja Storm, Ranger Form!" followed.

Blake and himself chimed in afterwards with "Thunder Storm, Ranger Form!"

Cam wrapped it up with "Samurai Storm, Ranger Form!"

And then, as if some inner being had driven him to withhold the last saying of his Ranger motto, he burst forth with the rest of the rangers as he bellowed "**HAH**!"

Flashes of color from all over united them in the ranger garb as they announced their powers.

"Tyranno," "Tricera," Ptera," "Brachio," and "Drago" were all words Conner, Ethan, Kira, Tommy, and Trent called out. Then, together they called "Dino Thunder!"

Then, more nostalgic and memorable to him were the calls of the ninja. "Power of Air!" "Power of Water!" "Power of Earth!"

"Crimson Thunder!" he found himself saying.

"Navy Thunder!" "Samurai Power!"

As one, all six of them called out for quite possibly the last time, "Ninja Storm!"

His last coherent memory before the adrenaline and ranger instinct took over, was that of him standing next to Tori as he shouted "**Ranger Power**" among the 10 other rangers.

Everything afterward was a blur, except saying goodbye, again, to Dustin. But 4 months would pass soon enough...right?

–3–

He sat in the waiting room, his vision blinded by tears. He couldn't fathom how things could change so abruptly and so randomly. Had he still had a morpher, had he still had more power, and had he been there, he could have saved her. He would not be mentally stabbing himself over and over for his stupidity and his airheaded persona, and his lack of responsibility.

"Mr Brooks?" a formal voice spoke.

Dustin, shaken and frantic, looked up, his face gaunt and red for crying. "What? What happened?"

"I'm afraid she's...I'm afraid she's taken severe brain damage."

"Ah no," Dustin whispered, his voice cracking. "No, no, no, no, no," he kept whispering, then building in a crescendo.

The doctor tried to continue. "She is in a somewhat vegetative state, and while we can keep her alive, she has lost all motor skills. Your father has requested we discontinue attempts at sustaining her..."

Dustin allowed himself to fall to the linoleum floor, not caring that he banged his knees. His voice broke several times through the tears and he was sure his father had already received the news. His father was in the room with her. His mother. His beautiful mother, so full of life and vibrant, so caring and ever-present. But now the flame of her life and legacy had been doused–drown out by the savage salty waters of Australia. Why did she insist on returning? Why did she go back?

_Why wasn't I __**there**__? _Dustin cried out in his mind.

Everything inside him fought to escape as his chest burned in agony. Though reality was telling him what had happened, in everything Dustin knew, he couldn't believe it possible. His mother was dead. She was gone. Forever.

And far, far away, Hunter felt as though someone had ripped a piece of him out. The bond he shared with Dustin was gone. Broken. Destroyed. Something, or someone, had torn Dustin from him in an instant. Their link, their bond, their love...all of it was gone in an instant and left Hunter feeling this void so bottomless that he staggered at its immensity. He could not feel, except an inexplicable pain at the thought of everything they had being broken.


	4. Haunted

**In the Rough, Chapter IV**

_Haunted_

Dustin panted as branches scraped his face. He pushed his legs harder, throwing himself into a breakneck run. For some reason, he couldn't streak. For some reason, he couldn't tune himself with the earth around him, and every branch, root, stone, and grain of dirt fought against him. They hindered him from running towards the faint red glow ahead of him.

At last he reached the clearing, desperate to reconnect the missing piece of himself.

The man before him turned slowly as words spoken long ago rushed through Dustin's head.

_ How about something deep? I'm feeling philosophical. _

_We are honest…sometimes_

_I'm not your boyfriend, Dustin; you don't get to tell me what to do._

_I don't know what you want anymore, Dustin!_

_I've been wanting to tell you for awhile._

_I like you._

_I'll remember, I promise._

_We can stay like this for as long as you want. _

_I just…I don't know how to handle it._

_I'm not 'fucking' with your mind, Dustin!_

_I mean it…I really __do __love you too…and I hate that it's taken so long to see that._

_Honestly, Dustin…I don't know what I want from you._

_Maybe you shouldn't have jumped to conclusions like the asshole you've _been_for the past few weeks._

_I've given you everything I have!_

_It's like the more I'm around you, the less happy you are._

_Maybe this was all just a bad idea in the first place, huh?_

_Figure out something to do today. Don't sit around here all day._

_I have to leave, Dustin._

_He's making me leave for an undisclosed amount of time…_

_Dustin, it'll be fine. We'll be fine. We'll get through it before you know, and we'll be together again. I promise._

_It's like the more I'm around you, the less happy you are._

_I like you._

_I promise._

_As long as you want._

_I'm yours for as long as you want me._

_I promise._

_I love you._

The words began to play faster and faster like a ballet of taunting memories that never actually existed, gaining loudness with every second. No matter how many days had passed, it felt like nothing had changed.

"I still want you!" he cried out, his voice cracking.

The man before him, the ghost of Hunter, merely shook his head at him. "No you don't."

Dustin lurched forward, sweat drenching his body. He locked eyes with the alarm clock's bright red numbers and panted to himself. Raising his hands to his cheeks, he rubbed around to assure there were no marks from the branches. His muscles were still clenched, ready to jump at the slightest pin drop.

He could have sworn he was running…and with his current physical condition, it would certainly have been easy to say he had.

And then the emptiness hit. The hole—the gap—formed less than a month ago by the absence of his mother began to chill, making Dustin's body shiver involuntarily. He pulled the sheets around him, despite the sweat soaked into them and let out a sigh. The two people he loved most in the entire world were gone…and who knew when Hunter would be back?

"Why do you do this to me?" he asked himself silently as he began to drift again, the cold pills taking their toll on him yet again.

This time Dustin found himself on the beach, waves crashing around him. He could hear laughter not far from his current position, but his eyes were blurry—like a strange film had covered them. Even without proper vision, though, he could make out the voices of his mom and dad.

"Mom?" he called out, whirling around.

The waves drowned his voice out, so he tried again. "Dad? Mom? Dad?"

With each cry, his voice got more urgent as the laughter he heard quickly turned to screaming.

"Lee?! Lee!"

Dustin sprinted, pushing his bare feet against the hot, shifting sand. His wounds from the previous dream ached for some odd reason, and sweat stung at his eyes. He felt like he was running for eternity when the ground gave way below him. The sand sunk, swallowing him in an icy cold rage.

Opening his mouth to breathe, a frozen torrent of water rushed into his throat and lungs, the salt slicing at his insides. He kicked and scraped at the water, trying his best to pull forward…but the black depth he saw below beckoned him closer and closer to his watery grave. There, at the bottom of the darkness, glowed a silhouette of a woman, white light sparkling from her gown like moonlight. Her dark hair flowed around her like a plume of ebony clouds, but at the same time, like a dark halo.

The young earth ninja coughed as he called his mother's name in vain. She sunk further and further, a look of pure horror plastered on her porcelain skin and once beautiful face. Instantly, her eyes were overcome with an inky black as her lips turned blue from the arctic waters of the Tasman Sea in July as it grasped her life…dragging her to the abyss of lifelessness below.

A silent scream escaped her lips as the last few bubbles of air in her body floated helplessly towards the distant surface.

"NO!" he screamed, his voice cracking with intensity. Dustin's fingers had torn through his blankets and a copper, metallic taste soaked his mouth—blood. His tongue ached from gnawing on it and his mouth had the characteristic dryness from his precious Lithium. His eyes darted wildly around the room, sure that he was going to suddenly be crushed by a wave or choked by more salt water. Reluctantly, he stepped out of bed, his feet aching from being so tensed. He didn't even bother to look at the clock—he knew another night of sleeplessness had once again passed.

Waldo Brooks, as he was legally known, walked stiffly into the bathroom and stared at his reflection for all of five seconds—the sight made him nauseous. The dark rings around his eyes from lack of sleep had become his signature look, he'd noticed, and his hollow, lifeless eyes hardly reflected the light in the bathroom. His dark brown curls—so much like the nearly black locks of his mother—were tousled and unkempt, lacking luster or style. But for some reason…his appearance did not push him to take more care of himself.

He made his way to the toilet, showered, dressed, and tried to make himself presentable. His combed his hair, washed his face again, and even tried to slap some life into his cheeks. They still lacked the proper color.

What would Hunter say if he saw him like this?

"Like he really even cares," Dustin mumbled to himself, pulling his shirt over his body and ignoring the pangs of pain from his overused muscles. Between recently acquiring Storm Chargers as his own store, working fulltime hours at the Academy, and hardly sleeping soundly, his ability to maintain physically at peace had all but escaped him.

A faint knock brought his attention to his bedroom door as his dad slowly crept in.

"Hey, I thought I heard you awake," Jake said quietly, his voice gravelly.

"Yeah, gotta head to work."

"Why so early? It's only 5—I thought you guys didn't open until 9?" he questioned.

Dustin replied instantly, hardly acknowledging the lie. "Inventory."

Jake nodded and fiddled with Dustin's door handle. "You uh…have an appointment today at 3:30 with Dr. Berlin."

Saving his dad a look, he turned to his mirror and pretended to fix his shirt. "Oh…okay."

"I'm visiting with my therapist today too, but my appointment's before yours…so you'll have to make it without me."

"Dad, it's okay—I'm an adult. I can get to _psychotherapy_ on my own." A slight chime of resentment rang in his voice, but he couldn't hide it.

"I know…I was just saying."

"Alright…well…I guess I'll see you for dinner?"

"I'm meeting with a client tonight and then I have to meet with lawyers about the accident and…take care of legal matters."

Dustin ignored the last part of his father's statement, nodded, and replied; "Okay…I'll keep some leftovers for you."

Jake smiled, bid farewell, and left Dustin to his room.

"I dunno, Tor, I'm tellin' you…I'm worried about Dustin" former Red Wind Ninja Ranger Shane Clarke said, turning to his blonde comrade.

Tori bit her lip, her usual habit when deep in thought. "I agree, definitely…I just don't know what we can do. And I feel like Dustin's completely pushed me away because of my element."

Skateboarder Shane nodded with a loss for words. The death of Lee was a shock to them all—Tori and Shane had met her on numerous occasions over the years of their developing friendship and she was like a second mother to them both. And the fragile shell that Jacob Brooks had become was little more than a ghost of the man he once was. Practically losing both his parents, owning Storm Chargers, and being a top sensei at the Ninja Academy appeared to be next to impossible. How Dustin managed was a mystery to even Sensei.

"Hey guys, any word from Dustin?" Cam asked, trotting up to the Water and Air sensei.

"Not since last night. He called me once he was leaving Storm Chargers to make sure we were still on for our collaboration classes," Shane replied, falling in line with Cam's steady gait.

"You don't think he forgot, do you?" Tori asked. "His memory's been worse lately than it ever has. He always has his phone on him and it's always beeping about appointments, to-dos, and all this other stuff. And the one time I peaked at it I thought he was going to rip my head off. I haven't seen him that angry since Lothor tricked us into taking the wrong Power Discs."

Cam frowned. "I'm not sure, Tori, but Dustin has definitely been acting strange. Even stranger than usual. My father's not very sure it's a safe nor good idea for him to be teaching—especially with the hours he has."

"The poor guy looks like he hasn't slept in weeks," Marah commented, sliding up next to the group of three.

"…you really shouldn't do that, Marah," said Tori, side-glancing at the ninja.

"Well it's true. He really does look like a zombie. He's gonna crash."

"Who?"

The foursome turned to see Dustin still in his civvies, a backpack slung over his shoulder and a deep frown sketched on his mouth.

"Hey bro, you made it!" Shane enthused, quickly trying to divert the subject. He reached out for a high five, but his arm was left hanging in midair as Dustin returned his greeting with a cold stare.

"You know…thanks for your concern…but I think I'm doin just fine. Don't talk about me like I'm not human. Appearances aren't everything, and last I checked, I was doing a hell of a lot more than all of you combined."

"Dustin," Tori began.

"No, Tor…save it. Seriously. I'm cancelling my class today—I have somewhere else I have to be."

"What? Where?"

Dustin looked at Cam, his interrogator, and replied calmly, "I have to be somewhere."

He took in a collective sigh, put on a smile, and added "I'll be back tomorrow. I've already spoken with Sensei about it and he said he'd have my students follow their usual routine. I'll catch you guys later."

They said their goodbyes but watched Dustin curiously as he walked off before disappearing in a yellow streak.

"Is it just me…or was he like…void of emotion?" Tori said slowly.

"And how are you sleeping?" Dr. Berlin asked, peering at his notes and crossing his leg in his blatantly comfortable chair.

"I'm not," Dustin said slowly. "The pills knock me out around 11, and I sleep soundly until about 3. Then they get weird."

"What gets weird?"

"My dreams."

"…define 'weird' for me, Dustin."

He sighed and recollected his dream of Hunter. "I've been getting these like…strong urges…and I know I told you about my link with him before, but after…after what happened in July, I could hardly feel him anymore."

Dr. Berlin wrinkled his forehead, and then reached for his medication book. "Lithium is a very complex drug, Dustin…its exact effect on the human brain and body is rather unknown, but all that's known is that it usually works. In your case…your…ahem…special abilities seem to be augmenting the effect of the drug on you. This fear you have, in your dream with Hunter, about not being able to use your powers—elaborate a little more?"

"Well…I'm running towards a glowing, and I can feel from the glow that it's Hunter—I can still remember what his energy feels like, of course. But…I can't streak. And since I'm an Earth Ninja, I can usually see without my eyes. I can _feel _the Earth around me. But in my dream, I'm hitting like, every tree branch, tripping on every rock, stumbling over every root, and I just feel…sluggish; and then I finally get to Hunter. But when I get to him, he's just standing there. And when I move towards him, he moves away. And then when I tell him I still want him…he just shakes his head and says 'no you don't.' And then he's gone."

Dr. Berlin scratched his short-cropped gray hair and adjusted his massive stature slightly in his seat. He fixed his piercing, yet calming eyes on Dustin and tried to ascertain the situation.

"When was the last time you saw Hunter, Dustin?"

"Three months ago. I barely got to see him, though…all fighting and stuff. He said he'd be home in four months, but dude…I don't know if I believe him. He lied to me about not being gone long…and…I don't know if I can handle losing him and my mom at the same time."

The elder man scrutinized Dustin's face, waiting for tears to come; but nothing came. In the two months that Dr. Berlin had known Dustin, he had never seen the boy cry—not one single lachrymal secretion.

"How are you friends helping you with this?"

"Psh…they're not. They talk about me like I'm a freak. Like I don't deserve to be upset. Like I'm supposed to just be a-oh-fucking-kay. But the weird thing is…I don't feel…sad? I feel neutral, almost. Like…I'm not happy, I'm not sad…I'm just kinda…here."

"A lot of people call that the 'Zombie' phase of Lithium. Personally, I don't think they should have started you on Lithium…not so soon after your mother's death…but I'm just the psychologist. I don't think you're dealing with Bi-Polar Disorder or Borderline Personality Disorder…I really think you're just dealing with the natural stages of grief. Your boyfriend's off gallivanting all over the world doing some secret training that he can't tell you about, he hardly ever calls, expects you to wait until the moon turns blue; meanwhile, you and your father are struggling with the loss of your mother while your sister tries to cope away at school. If it were up to me, I would not have you on medication—especially with a drug as mysterious as Lithium. We don't even know how it works on a _normal _human's mind, let alone a superhuman like you."

"Well I couldn't really tell my psychiatrist I was a ninja at a secret academy where I manipulate earth with my mind."

Dr. Berlin laughed his rich chuckle and patted his leg. "That's very true…I'd hate to see what she'd do if you told her that."

"I'd probably be in a mental institution right about now."

"I won't argue that."

A moment's pause passed before Dr. Berlin delved in once more.

"Well other than the sleeping, things seem to be okay. You're reacting 'normally' to the Lithium, which is good, I guess. I would set up an appointment with Dr. Malone to see if he can get you something for the sleeping, since I'm sure he's adamant that you stay on the Lithium."

"Yeah, I have an appointment in a few days, actually."

"Good, good. We'll do our appointment at the same time next week. I want you to try keeping a log of your dreams. Is the Hunter dream the only you've been having?"

Dustin hesitated. He licked his lips several times, cursed the cottonmouth of Lithium, and then spoke. "No."

Dr. Berlin listened.

"I-I…I have this dream…about being in Australia, with my mom. I'm on the beach, and I can't see, again, and all my wounds from the dream before with Hunter are there…and they burn. But I can hear my mom and dad laughing, and when I try to find them, they start to fade. And then I hear screaming. But when I start running down the beach, the sand burns my feet, even though it's freezing. Then, out of nowhere, I'm falling into water, like the ground just turns into the sea. And then I'm drowning. And then I see her. And she's…she's dying. And she's in that white dress—that amazing dress she bought when she and I went to the mall. It's the one she wore to my graduation from college, and the one she got to replace the one she wore to their anniversary dinner when my dad spilled red whine on her. But she's like…glowing. It's the most amazing thing I've ever seen. And then she screams, but I can't hear it because we're underwater. Her eyes…her bright blue eyes that I'd always wished I had…they turn black, like someone poured ink into her eye sockets. And her lips turn blue. And she breathes her last breath. And sinks down into the black."

It took Dustin a few minutes to notice he was shaking—to notice that his hands were gripping the sides of the chair and that his fingers were splintering the wood.

"Wow…Dustin, that's…wow."

"It's…it's the same dream that always wakes me up. I always wanted to be there, because I **know **I could have saved her."

"Dustin...I know we talked about this when you first got here, and that's when you told me about your ranger powers. But…in all honesty, you don't know. You don't know if you could have saved her. Who's to say that you wouldn't have been eating when they went on their boat ride? Who's to say you wouldn't have been knocked unconscious like your dad? You can't change the past and you can't predict the future…the best you can do is try to shape the present."

Dustin fell silent as Dr. Berlin spoke. He knew his counselor was right—he usually was. But…some sick feeling inside him told otherwise.

"I know…it's just hard, I guess."

"Don't blame yourself, Dustin. It will only make this way harder than it needs to be."

"I can feel him, though, Mom. Just…faintly. And he hurts so bad but it's like it's…like it's muffled. But at night I feel it the strongest."

Hunter's mother looked down at him and puckered her lips in thought. "Maybe your bond will re-strengthen when you go back to Blue Bay Harbor?"

"It's very possible that Dustin has stopped his ninja training as well, son. If a ninja loses his way, it can be very hard for him to even find his inner ninja…let alone someone else's."

Hunter nodded to his father, acknowledging their words. He knew they were right…but at the same time…it felt…wrong.

"I want to call him. Do you think that would be okay?"

His parents exchanged glances before his mom shrugged. "I don't see why not. Your training is just about complete. You've managed to sustain this heavy meditation for the past hour, even with the time difference. I think a few more months and you should have it perfected."

"Wait…months?" Hunter asked, noticing the plurality of her statement.

"Yeah…about two or three."

"No, mom, you don't understand…I told Dustin I would be back in four months. How could I possibly need another two-to-three months?"

"Well, there are several factors you need to take into account. Number one being that now that your ranger powers are completely gone, this will most likely be your most beneficial weapon," his father began. "Not to mention, if you master this skill, you can better teach it to those you think will need it."

"But who do I know that would need it?"

The two lost ninjas remained quiet for a few moments, then shook their heads. "A time will come when you will know."

"Go…call Dustin. Tell him the change of plans. I'm sure he'll be happy to even hear from you," said his dad.

Hunter lingered for several moments, then closed his eyes and cut off his link to the other world. It took him quite a while to regain feeling and control of his body after such a long outside of it, but once he did, he gathered up his camp and headed for the nearest town.

Rock Lake was not far from the tip of Michigan's upper-peninsula and had a fair amount of urban areas. The population was rather small, especially compared to Blue Bay Harbor, but Hunter wasn't there to check out the demographics. He needed a phone.

Finding a pay phone in this day and age wasn't easy as he would have thought it to be. After all…what did people without cell phones do?

"'scuse me; do you know where I could find a payphone?"

The random stranger Hunter had questioned shrugged and kept walking, hardly sparing a glance.

"Oh…kay…"

So he tried again with a young woman. She blatantly ignored him and went on her way.

"This is ridiculous," he muttered to himself after his fifth try. Huffing, he marched into a Starbucks and demanded, "Where can I find a payphone?"

The older, full-bodied man stared at him for a few seconds, then shrugged. "Not sure, really. Not too many payphones I know of."

"Do you know of _any _place I can make a phone call?"

"The library, maybe? They have public phones there, but it costs."

"…right. Thanks!"

With that, he was gone. On second thought, he probably moved a bit _too _fast, because he happened to notice the slight crimson blur behind him.

"Shit!" he exclaimed, slowing to a brisk walk. To his relief, hardly anyone had noticed his…half-streak?

After aimlessly wandering for an amount of time Hunter did _not _want to acknowledge, he finally admitted to being lost. "And it's not like I could ask anyone for directions…people here obviously have no manners."

"Where ya tryna get to?" he heard a young man ask.

Hunter turned around to answer his visitor when he stopped dead in his tracks. The male must have been about 20, maybe 22. His dark brown hair hung in wavy curls of sorts in a careless manner, and he was absently biting his soft, blossom colored lips. When Hunter locked eyes with this stranger, he knew something was not right. They were a vibrant blue, like the cloudless day sky, and they shone with the enthusiasm of life. He was…Dustin?

"I-I…ah…wow…uhm…do I know you?"

The boy frowned slightly then grinned, "I don't think so. But I'm Justin. Not everyone around here's rude, you just gotta watch how you pick 'em."

Hunter picked up on a slow drawl and placed him to be somewhere from the south. "You're not from around here, are you? Not with that accent."

Justin chuckled, "Naw, guess you got me. I'm from a small town in South Carolina called Crystal Forest…been here for about 5 years, though. Not everyone's to bad, though it don't really compare to southern hospitality."

Hunter grinned. "No, probably not."

"Where you from?"

"I'm actually from Blue Bay Harbor, California."

"Oh wow…how'd you find your way all the way up here?"

"Backpacking," Hunter replied quickly. It was a habitual lie and pretty easy to prove with all the stuff he carried.

"No cell phone?" Justin asked skeptically.

"Long story short…I'm somewhat accident prone with technology."

The two shared a laugh before Hunter tried cutting to the chase. "So…do you know where the library is? Because…I really have to make an important phone call."

"Ah, girlfriend?"

He hesitated. They weren't necessarily "out" to anyone, and having never been exposed to many gay people, Hunter was not quite sure how Justin would react to his…non-heterosexuality?

"Uh…sorta."

"Ah, the one you keep close but distanced, eh? Good man!"

The Crimson Ninja forced a smile and asked one last time, "So yeah…where is it?"

"It's about a mile east. If you want, I'll show you where it is."

With several seconds of reluctance, Hunter caved and allowed his new friend to lead him to the library. And then he noticed something that he hadn't felt in almost 2 years. Attraction.

_Fuck_, he groaned to himself. _This is not happening. I am not attracted to him. I love Dustin. He is the only guy I'm attracted to! _

The entire way to the library, he berated himself, responding only when necessary to Justin's conversational antics. Finally, after nearly 15 minutes of laboriously slow walking, they arrived at Rock Lake's Public Library.

"Well here you are. Oh…I realized…I don't know your name, man."

Hunter shook Justin's hand, ignoring the small tingling in his palm and said, "Hunter."

"Alright. Well, good to meet you Hunter. Good luck with your backpackin, and…if you're ever in town again, stop by Ridgeway farm…it's my family's place. I'll fix you up with some good ol' country cookin'."

Hunter couldn't help but laugh as he bid Justin farewell. An enormous part of him sighed in relief as the attraction instantly faded. He trudged into the library, deposited the money, and dialed the one of two numbers he had memorized by heart.

"Hello?"

"Hey."

"…Hunter?"

"Hey, buddy."

"Where are you?"

"It's a long story, but uh…I wanted to tell you about when I'm gonna be home."

"Next month, right?"

"Well…I…I dunno."

The other side of the line was deathly silent.

"Dustin?"

"You lied to me."

"What's the matter?"

"Just a little confused…"

"You're confusing me."

"No, seriously, I'm not…Don't you think we have some…things we need to talk about?"

"Why are we fighting?" Hunter snapped angrily. "This isn't what I want."

"Wait a minute, I think you might be getting a little ahead of yourself an—"

"We're fine."

"…well…it just seems like everything we've been through…must be for a reason," Dustin said, quieting somewhat.

"Dustin—!"

"You gotta trust me! Like…why are you takin it out me?"

Hunter thought for a few moments, then responded coldly. "Sorry, but I gotta go. We're done talking."

"I thought we were friends!" Dustin shouted, his voice harsh with fire.

But the line was dead.

Thousands of miles away, Dustin slammed his cell phone down on the table, the loud crack not registering in his ears. All he could hear was his rapid heartbeat flooding out the world around him. His eyes burned with fury and his fists were balled so tightly he thought for sure his knuckles would rip through his skin.

"I'll never trust _anyone _again," he growled to himself, smashing his cell phone even more.


	5. In the Rough

**In the Rough, Chapter V**

_In the Rough_

"Come on, Dustin! It's your turn!" Janie called to him, pulling at his arm.

Dustin chuckled, resisting his sister. "No, no, I'm good."

"Come _on_!"

Her friends chimed in, giggling drunkenly.

Though he was a fully trained ninja, Dustin knew full well this was one fight he would _not _win.

"_Fine_…what am I singing?"

Janie squealed, pulling strands of her dark brown hair—so much like her mother's—behind her ear and opened the karaoke book between her and Dustin.

"Oh! Let's do a Britney song!"

"Absolutely not," Dustin replied quickly with a wry smile.

"Ugh…what about this one?"

"Nope."

"This one?"

"Uh uh."

"OH! How about that? You _can't _say no to this."

"Uhm…yes I can. No."

Janie groaned. "Fine, I'm picking a random song and you're gonna sing it with me. Deal?"

"It has to be completely random, then," he agreed.

Dustin watched his older sister select "popular" under categories, then "random artists," and finally "random songs."

He was so thankful Janie had come home for her summer break. Things had been really tough with his father, and the pressure surrounding his "relationship" with Hunter was becoming an almost suffocating force. Their last conversation had ended in a way Dustin could not justify. He had overreacted, that much he knew; but…Hunter had just completely shut him out. He ended the conversation with "we're done talking."

_How could he have been so…cold?_

"Oh my God! Dust-Bunny! Look what Random chose!" Janie interrupted his thoughts.

Dustin cringed at her nickname for him and looked at the song she was pointing to. He'd heard the song before. Everyone had heard the song before. It was that annoyingly whiny song by that tall, scrawny, nasal guy and the young chick from American Idol. Something about suffocating or another one of those depressingly dramatic scenarios.

"Oh God, Janie…at this point, I really just don't even care," he laughed.

It wasn't until the lyrics popped up on screen that Dustin felt the blood in his veins run cold. Now he remembered the song. He also remembered the first time he heard it and he immediately changed the station.

"I'm sorry Janie…I can't do this song," he said, tossing his microphone on one of the karaoke room's couch's. Silently, he left the room, his sister's friends all murmuring curiously.

A few moments later, Janie ran out after him, exposing herself to the cool September air.

She walked up beside him wordlessly, watching the highway below illuminate itself with the various speeding cars.

"I'm sorry, Dustin. I…didn't pay attention the lyrics."

"It's okay," he replied almost inaudibly.

"How are things? I mean…with Hunter?"

Dustin smirked bitterly. "I really don't know, actually. The last time we talked, we fought. I haven't heard from him since. He's supposed to be back in about a month, now. Can't really say I believe him, but…whatever."

Janie kicked the curb clean and popped a squat. She reached in her jacket pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes, withdrew a lighter, and then motioned for her younger brother to sit.

"Did I ever tell you about Duke McGee?"

Dustin sat down and raised an eyebrow. "Who's that? Some boy band member?"

Janie rolled her eyes and flicked her lighter to life, igniting the end of the cigarette. "No, jackass. Duke McGee was captain of the soccer team my freshman year of college, and _every _girl wanted him. He was a junior, biology major, _super _nice guy. We ended up in a psych class together and somehow we just hit it off. But…I was kind of like his dirty little secret. We couldn't tell anyone because we didn't know how the school would react; I'm…not really sure why, now that I look back on it, but…it was dumb. I ended up falling head over heels for this guy, Dustin; I mean I did any and everything for him. He told me he loved me first, and I was on cloud nine. But…I got impatient. I started wanting the freedom to be able to call him my boyfriend. I wanted to rush him into something. Now," Janie paused to exhale her smoke, and then resumed, "Duke was a devout Mormon. He'd never dated a girl, never drank, never smoked; he was seriously an all around goody-goody. Until he met me, of course."

Dustin chuckled and shook his head. "The good ole' Brooks charm, eh?"

"You know it."

She offered him a cigarette and Dustin eyed the nicotine filled drug. He shrugged and accepted it, sparking it to life with Janie's lighter. Once he'd returned her lighter, she continued.

"Well, he begged me to just wait for him. After he graduated college, he'd no longer need his parents' financial support and he could 'drop' his religion. That's how much I meant to him. I dunno if you know, Dustin, but Mormons take their religion _very _seriously. And he was willing to give up his family for me. But…I was young and brash, and it wasn't good enough for me. I agreed to wait. But by the middle of his senior year, shit was going to hell. When he went home for winter break, I just had this feeling that something was going to happen. Our winter break is six fucking weeks long."

Dustin took a minute to watch his sister speak. She seemed…different…harder, almost. Like life had shown her the bitter side and now she was suddenly "experienced." Her tone was…angry. But already, Dustin could see that she was not angry with Duke McGee. She was angry with herself.

"I flipped out by the fifth week. I couldn't call him. I couldn't text him. He was too afraid his parents were going to find out because his cousins go to our school. He was really paranoid, and I was tired of feeling like some monstrosity that he couldn't let out in the open. So I gave him an ultimatum: he either went public with me, or we were done."

She took several more drags and waited for the effect to sink in as if she were reliving the conversation herself. She stared off in the distance and added silently. "I lost him, Dustin."

Squinting as he exhaled the smoke from his lungs, Dustin eyed his sister as her crystal blue eyes—so much like their mother's—let out several tears.

"In my 25 years of life, I've never loved someone that much, Dustin. And I look back on it now and think 'if only I'd been more patient. If only I'd had more self-control. If only I'd trusted him more.' I don't want you to make that mistake, Dustin. Not with Hunter. I _know _how you guys are, dude. Even when you two were 'just friends' you were unlike anything I've ever seen before. Don't let your impatience fuck you over, Dust Bunny."

It wasn't until then that Dustin noticed that for the first time in forever…he felt like crying. But the feeling came and went just as fast as it was thought of.

"God, Janie…we are so fucked up," he laughed spitefully.

"We're like diamonds in the rough, kid. Someone'll find us, though."

"Blah…there we go with that patience thing again. I don't wanna be found…let's do the finding ourselves."

She laugh and hiccupped simultaneously, and then nodded as she laid her head on his shoulder. "You'll get through it, Dustin. You're stronger than I am."

"That's not true, Janie; you're the only one that's not forced to see a psychiatrist and pop pills. You've been the only rock in this family since mom's been gone."

Janie smiled, half to herself. "She used to always joke about how I acted too motherly and how I was going to replace her one day if she didn't stay on her toes."

Dustin grinned, laying his head against his sister's. "I remember that. You used to always lecture me on stuff and she'd have to rescue me."

Janie giggled and squeezed his hand. "She'd be proud of us, you know."

"Yeah, I do."

"She always talked about how family is always the most important thing. We're a unit, Dust Bunny; we just gotta get dad back on track."

"I honestly am scared, Janie."

"About what?"

Dustin gave her a look.

"Oh…Hunter?"

"Yeah."

"I would wait until you get things _sorted _with Hunter before you actually go tell dad. There are rough patches in everything, though; what defines love is how you make it through them still intact. So wait until things have cleared up, and then go for it."

They sat in silence for a few moments, finishing up their cigarettes. As she snuffed hers out, Janie asked, "Since when do you smoke?"

"Since when do _you _smoke?" Dustin countered. "I only did it because you offered."

"Pft, way to cave to peer-pressure."

"Oh whatever, there was no pressure."

Janie rolled her eyes as she hoisted herself up from the ground. "Let's head back in, yeah? We don't have to sing anymore."

"Good…your friends seem to have that down pat anyway," he joked.

_—In the Rough—_

She crossed her legs and fixed her son with an intent stare. "You are not getting out of this Hunter Christian. Tell me."

Hunter suppressed the growl in the base of his throat and fought to not roll his eyes. "Mom, I'm sorry…but…seriously?"

"If my son is in love with someone, I'd like to know more about this person! I think that's fair, don't you? I mean, if it helps, I won't tell your father."

Hunter groaned. "Yeah, sure, that helps but…mom…it's…just weird?"

Amelia Bradley looked offended. "Hunter! I would expect no less of a description if you fell in love with a woman. I think it's perfectly normal to be _somewhat _informed on my son's love life."

Hunter sighed. His mother had a point. Still, when he started his meditation this morning, he wasn't expecting her to ask about Dustin. The wounds of their last verbal quarrel still stung.

_You lied to me._

"Well…I don't really know if there is anything right now, actually."

Mrs. Bradley fixed her oldest song with a look of confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Well…when I went to call him last month…we…sorta argued."

"Oh…I'm sorry to hear that. What happened?"

"I…he's upset that I'm still gone. When I had to go and help everyone fight off Lothor, I promised him I'd be back in four months."

"But why would you promise him that? You had no way of knowing for sure!"

"Well of course I did! I mean…mathematically speaking, it seemed perfectly legit."

Amelia rolled her eyes at her son's impetuous yet calculating mannerisms. "Hunter…no matter how many complex formulas you set up in that head of yours, you can never predict the future. This training isn't something that says 'because I've learned at this rate for x-amount of months, I will finish in y-amount of months.' Life doesn't work that way."

Hunter looked at the ground for a moment or so and sighed. "I just wanted to be able to reassure him of something, mom. You didn't see the look in his eyes…the loneliness surrounding him. He looked so hopeless and…I couldn't just tell him 'I dunno when I'll be back.' I wanted to give him some kind of hope."

"Yes, but in doing so your plan backfired."

"Well why am I still here? What am I trying to learn?"

"You're improving. And getting the parenting I wish I could have continued to give you, Hunter. It may not have occurred to you but your father and I miss you and Blake as well. This isn't a one-way street."

For some reason, that had never really been something Hunter thought about.

"Wow…I guess I never really thought about it that way," he admitted.

His mother smiled. "I didn't think so."

A small silence intervened momentarily before she spoke up again. "So…tell me more about Dustin?"

"Well…he's a giant goofball most of the time. When I moved to Blue Bay Harbor, he was the first person to befriend Blake and me. Initially, I think I was attracted to him. I don't really know why, either. It was something completely new to me. So I was kind of a dick to him."

Amelia raised her eyebrows at her son's language but didn't interrupt.

"And then…you already know the whole Lothor thing. But even after all that, he still wanted to be our friend. And when Blake and I joined up with them, we just sorta paired off together. He used to be best friend with Shane, the Red Wind Ranger, but according to Dustin, he just changed once they started fighting for the world together. And Blake paired up with this girl named Tori, the blue ranger. So it was kind of just me and Dustin a lot of the time."

"I see," she said slowly. "So…hm…I can't believe I'm asking this because I know I'll regret this later but…how did this whole thing…start? Am I to assume that you just both told each other there was an attraction?"

Hunter scratched the back of his head nervously. "Ah-ha…well…not really. Uhm…it sort of started while we were fighting Lothor. We were at the track, and his element completely takes control when he's riding, and a lot of the times it would cloud my link with the weather. Well…that day he was especially focused and I was all but blocked. And this thunderstorm comes out of nowhere."

Hunter allowed himself a small smirk as he reflected back to a day almost 4 years ago.

_—In the Rough—_

_Dustin pulled off his helmet and squinted through the rain at me, clad in my crimson riding gear. "Where'd this come from?" he shouted._

_I shook my hair free wildly and yelled back, "No idea! Couldn't really sense anything with all your energy everywhere, dirt boy!"_

_Dustin smiled proudly, "My bad."_

_"You wanna head back to my place? It's closer and you can just shower and stuff there; I think Blake's off with Tori at the movies."_

_"Yeah, sounds good; I need a shower like no other!"_

_I mockingly rolled my eyes and pulled my helmet back on, rearing my bike up to put it away. Being the childish pair we always were when hanging out, Dustin and I trekked our way through Storm Chargers, bringing the rain with us._

_"Aw, c'mon you two! I'm gonna spend forever cleaning that up," Kelly groaned._

_"Sorry Kel!" he said, flashing a million dollar smile. I think I felt my heart do a weird little seizure of a dance or something weird, but I'm pretty sure I just ignored it._

_I was too focused on the fact that Kelly was obviously flirting with him. With my Dustin. I wasn't quite sure when he became my Dustin, but…I knew there was a sense of exigency to keep him away from anyone who might take him from me. He made me….happy again. I could slowly feel the walls I'd forged so long ago start to crumble from the inside out whenever I was with him. But at the time, I had no idea what that meant. I assumed that was what it was like to have a real friend._

_When we got back to my apartment, we were completely soaked from head to toe. If I hadn't known any better, I would have assumed we'd gone swimming fully clothed. We made fun with the excess water in our clothes, though, and I remember having a water fight by squeezing the water from our sleeves. It seemed ineffective to keep our shirts on so…they came off. _

_I don't really know how it happened exactly. I mean, I guess I do. I could probably explain in much more graphic nature but…I'll spare you that. I just know that at one point, he ran away from me to escape being whipped with my sopping sweater. We ran up the stairs, past the bathroom, into my room, around the bed. He tried to hop over the bed to get back to the door, but I caught his leg, slamming him on the bed playfully. It was completely innocent fun. It was only meant to be a water fight. _

_That's all I intended to happen._

_So when I squeezed the remaining water in my sweater onto his face, I wasn't expecting him to flip me over and do the same. I wasn't expecting us to wrestle around on my bed trying to pin each other. I wasn't expecting us to kiss. _

_I think at that point we both knew that stopping was not an option. If we stopped, it would be three thousand times more awkward. So we didn't stop until an hour had passed. My bed was completely soaked thanks to the wet garments strewn about, and we were both more in need of a shower than ever before. _

_But the awkwardness I was expecting didn't ensue. Maybe because I didn't let it. I basically ignored that it happened. I picked up the nearest garment—his shirt—and whipped him in the arm with it and said "I win. I get first shower."_

_—In the Rough—_

"It's not really that interesting of a story," Hunter lied, hiding the grin creeping up on his face from the memory that was still oh-so vivid.

"I wasn't asking for interesting stories, Hunter," his mom replied with a sly smile.

"It was just…random. It rained, we went back to mine and Blake's place to take showers, ended up having a 'wet-shirt whipping' fight, ended up wrestling on my bed, and then...sorta kissed."

"Did you 'sorta' kiss, or did you kiss?"

"Yes, mom! We kissed! Jeeze!"

Amelia laughed richly and said, "You'd better be careful, Hunter. If you blush anymore you're not gonna need to wear crimson all the time."

Hunter growled and rolled his eyes. "This is so awkward, just throwin' that out there."

"Well, it's better to talk about it now than later, I always say."

"I guess."

"So…after that, were you two just a private item or something?"

"Haha…hardly. We…ignored that anything was happening for a while. We hung out all the time, like normal…and then sometimes…yeah."

"Sometimes…yeah…what?"

"Mom!"

"What?! I'm curious!"

"You _know _what."

"Do I?"

Hunter fixed her with a lethal stare. In a way, it was probably a good thing she was already dead, because he probably would have killed her right then and there with that glare.

"Oh! Oh. Okay. Are you being safe???"

"MOM!"

"Okay, okay…sorry."

"ANYWAY! Like I was saying…" Hunter cleared his throat and continued. "After Blake left for Factory Blue, he and Tori only dated for about a month longer. Their relationship was never really defined. Hell, I don't even know if they kissed or not. But…apparently Tori had some very strong feelings for him, because after they broke up, she was really upset. So…I felt bad. I mean, Blake's my bro so I almost feel responsible for some of his actions, and…because I'm the oldest, I always have to clean up after him."

Amelia smiled.

"So…Tori and I started hanging out, too. And…then…well…we sorta developed feelings for each other. The way it happened was a lot tamer than with Dustin. We just talked about it, went back to her place, and went to sleep."

Immediately, Amelia fixed him with a look.  
"I swear! We just went to sleep. That night nothing happened. It wasn't until like a month later that things started getting serious. But…she wanted to tell our friends and…I didn't want to."

"Did Dustin know about Tori? And were you and him still having your complicated friendship?"

"Yeah, on both counts. The thing that sucks is that he and Tori were best friends, and…in a monstrous way, I was sort of pitting them against each other, although Tori had no idea. After four months, I finally told Blake, but by this point, I was really confused. Dustin and I had finally acknowledged our 'arrangement' and things were getting serious—there were feelings involved and it wasn't fair to either him or Tori. I knew at that point I had to make a choice."

"I wish I had some popcorn right now," Amelia joked, uncrossing her legs from a meditative position and stretching them out as she leaned back against a tree.

"Very funny. Anyway, right before Blake's factory tour started up again and the new Thunder Academy semester started, Tori threw us a going away part of sorts. By this point, I had made up my mind to be with Dustin. I was gonna tell Tori and just have her hate me. But then…she all the sudden breaks up with _me_!"

"What?!"

"Yeah. It was…unexpected to say the least," Hunter said slowly. "But it was a definite plus. And that same night I told Dustin. But I was really drunk. So I told him again the next morning. And ever since then we've just been together."

"Have you ever thought of writing a book?"

Hunter laughed. "No, not really. I'm not much for writing. I stick to math and science."

"Hm…well someone should write it! I swear…Power Rangers and their drama!"

"Mom!"

"What? I'm just kidding. Jeeze, lighten up."

Rolling his eyes, Hunter picked at the ground beneath him.

"So…how are you going to fix things?"

Hunter was silent for a moment or two, and then replied honestly. "I don't know."

Amelia threw a small stone at his head.

"Ow!"

"Hunter Christian Bradley! You mean to tell me after everything I just heard you're just gonna kick back and say," Lowering her voice to a dopey tone, she said, "'I don't know?'"

"Well, I mean, I don't know how to fix it…"

"Uhm…I dunno…you could try calling him?" she said in a mater-of-fact tone.

"I fuck things up on the phone. And that would also involve me _finding _a phone. And I don't think his phone is working because I tried calling back the same day to apologize but…he didn't answer."

"Oh."

"Yeah…so…I'm kind of stuck with a shitty situation."

"Well, go home."

"What?"

"You'll be done in about a week or two. Go home."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes, Hunter. Go home."

—_In the Rough—_

"Janie...your brother is _so _cute! Is he single?" she attempted to whisper. Her attempt was in vain thanks to the alcohol coursing through her sister. Dustin cringed inwardly.

"HAHA! Dustin's gay, so it doesn't matter. And his boyfriend is totally hot. You're barkin up the wrong tree, Sarah!"

"JANIE!" the ninja shouted, his voice almost shattering the windshield of the car he was driving.

"What?" she asked, her words slurring. She was definitely drunk.

"What the hell, dude?"

"Are you gay, Dustin?" Janie's friend Sarah asked.

"No, Sarah, I'm not. But I'm trying to sort things of my own out, so I really don't have time for a relationship."

Sarah giggled. "That's fine…we don't need a relationship."

"You're drunk, Sarah."

With that, he turned the radio on full blast and gunned the gas. He was getting the three drunk girls home, and then taking Janie somewhere he could beat her senseless for babbling like she did. After the night they'd shared last week, he was almost certain he could trust her with anything. And then…this.

30 minutes later, the car was empty except for the two siblings.

"Janie, seriously, what the fuck was that?" Dustin asked angrily. Somehow, he noticed his voice was not as brave or angry as it should have been.

"What? I mean, i's totly ovveeus eenneewaayy," Janie retorted drunkenly.

"What?"

"I alwayz kneeew yhou were ghay. Cuzz eeven in high skoool yhou nehver dated eneeone. N there were pleeen'y of guurls…"

"Janie…seriously, just shut up. I really don't wanna talk about this anymore. You're drunk as anything and…I just…I cannot believe you right now."

She complied with his wishes, miraculously, and the two made it home. Dustin pulled it to the drive way and shut his door, prepared to go inside. Then he noticed Janie didn't get out right away.

He sighed exasperatedly and walked over to door. "Dude, come on. It's late and I want to go to bed."

But then he looked through the window and saw she was sobbing.

Whatever remained of his anger instantly faded.

"What's wrong, Janie?"

"I'm sorry!" she immediately said. "I didn't mean to say it, Dustin. I'm just…I'm jealous!" She sniffed loudly and swallowed. "Cuz you have Hunter and people still want you. And it's like…I just keep losing everything. I lose Duke, and I lose mom, and…I lost dad, basically…and now I'm gonna lose you to Hunter and it's like the only people I have left are my friends. But I mean…yeah…you see how they are."

Dustin looked around cautiously for neighbors or to see if a light inside would turn on.

"C'mon, you can sleep in my room tonight, dude; we'll use my bathroom because you look really sick, okay? You're not losing me to anyone, Janie. I'm always gonna be your frickin' Dust Bunny, or Dust Mite, or whatever other crazy nicknames you have for me. Always, dude. Remember…family first."

What disturbed Dustin the most was the lack of sadness he felt. He knew this should be something that pulled at his tear glands but…nothing.

He helped his sister out of the car and brought her inside, up to his room, and to the bathroom. For hours, she cried and puked…a combination of the both. She talked about Lee, and about Jake, and about Duke, and about Dustin. And then she finally fell asleep.

He carried her to his bed and wrapped her up in his comforter, then moved stray hair from her face. She was the spitting image of their mother. And that was a good thing. He vowed silently that he would never be lost to his sister, and that someday he wouldn't feel that he had "lost" his mother. He would find her. And he would find his dad. And ultimately, he would find Hunter, no matter how messy the situation got. He would keep his patience, and he would wait.

"We're like diamonds in the rough," he whispered to his sister as he turned the opposite direction—facing the framed picture of Hunter and him at the motocross track—he dozed off waiting for love to find him once again.


End file.
